Beer can



Feb. 14, 1939. s. A. WAIRK ET A; 2,141,004

BEER CAN Filed Sept; 22, 1957 Zhmentor Samuel Arnold Work 3 Alfred C.Tor'ern Q'MA Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BEER CANSamuel Arnold Wark and Alfred C. Torem;

Seattle, Wash.

Application September 22, 1937, Serial'No.

3 Claims.

Our invention relates fluids under pressure are to be held,

designed as a can for beer.

Canned beer is particularly suitable for transporting to out-of-the-wayplaces, as on picnics, yachting, fishing, etc., but when it is to bedrunk it is necessary to Our invention may forms, and in variouscontainers, and in various 3 larly such as pertain to diiferent uses orenvironclaims which terminate this specification.

In the accompanying drawing we haveshown forms, and this drawing isintended as informative rather than restrictive.

Figure 1 is a top can cover, showing our invention incorporated planview of a portion of a r therein, in a form which is at presentpreferred by uS.

her of assembly.

Figure 6 is a view similar a slight modification in the form of theindividual showing a further modification. V

As'we have stated above, the invention is apface of the inner disk 5.Thus it reinforces is not secured to the top I,

2 instance, latex similar to that employed in sealing the parts at theseam 3, may be employed, and 6 in Figure 4. This seals about the edge ofthe disk and about the edge of the hole 4.

Thus sealed, whether by reliance wholly upon the internal pressure or bythe application of the sealing substance 6, the disk 5 is not readilydisplaced by accident, but it can be displaced by inwardly directedpressure of a .thumb through the aperture upon the disk, in the mannerillustrated in Figure 3. 1

To prevent accidental dislodgment of the disk 5 we prefer to protect itby an outer disk I. This may take various erably it is primarilyof thesame shape as the disk 5, and thus marginally overlaps the hole 4. Itmay be embossed downwardly, as shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5, whereby itscenter is disposed within the aperture 4 and contacts the upper s theinner disk against the inward pressure. The outer disk 1 is preferablyheld in place against accidental removal, as for instance in the formshown in Figure 4, by the spreading of the adhesive substance 6 betweenthe two disks, the disk 1 being embossed to substantially contact thedisk 5, with the adhesive 6 between them. In the form shown in Figure 5the adhesive is arranged in a small ring, as shown at 6|, only about themargin of the inner disk 5, and is similarly arranged in a ring 62 aboutthe margin only of the outer disk 1.

The outer disk is provided with a tab 8 which but which can be hingedback so that it may be grasped between the thumb and forefinger, in themanner illustrated in Figure 2. This enables the outer disk I to belifted, the only resistance being the adhesion of the sealing substance.In this manner the disk I can be removed when its removal is desired,yet accidental removal is extremely unlikely. Once the outer disk 1 isremoved, the inner disk 5 may be pressed inwardly, as shown in Figure 3,in opposition to sealing compound and to the internal pressure, and thecontents of the can are immediately accessible. All of this may beaccomplished without theuse of any tools whatsoever, and by aconstruction which is simple in the extreme, and which will be foundparticularly suitable for use in beer cans.

Figure 6 illustrates a slight reversal of the form shown in Figure 2,for here the inner disk 5 is dished upwardly, and the outer disk 1 isplane. With respect to the embossing of one or the other of the disks,it should be pointed out that the edges of the embossed portionpreferably do not contact with the edges of the hole 4, as is best shownin Figures 4 and 5. The embossed disk is in no sense analogous to thewellknown friction top or closure, where the securement of the top isaccomplished by engagement of an embossed portion within the edge of anaperture. In this closure the space between the edge of the hole 4 andthe embossed portion of one or the other of the disks is free and clear,and there is no necessary contact. This space may become filled withsome of the sealing substance, but there is in no sense a frictionalengagement here which is relied upon to retain either disk in position,except as it aids in preventing movement of the disk in the plane of thetop forms and shapes, though pref-' the adhesion of the In Figure '1both the inner and outer disks are shown as plane, but with a disk 9interposed between them. The disk 9 may be secured to one or to theother of the disks 5 or I, or to neither. It is in effect merely aspacer between the two plane disks, and might indeed be formed of thematerial cut out to form the aperture 4.

The same principles may be embodied in containers where the contents arenot under pressure, or are even subjected to reduced pressure, as in avacuum-pack. In the latter case, at least, the disk 5 would be appliedto the outside of the apertured wall of the container, the better toresist the higher inwardly directed pressure of the atmosphere. Shouldthe contents be under no particular pressure, positive or negative, theinvention will still be' desirable and effective, and the latex 6 willserve as the principal sealing agent.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In combination with a sealed container for retailing beer or a likeliquid under pressure, having an aperture in its top or other wall of asize to admit the consumers finger, a disk within the containerunderlying and marginally underlapping the aperture, whereby theinternal pressure acts to press the disk outwardly to a seat about themargin of the aperture, and the disk is unseated by pressure inwardlydirected upon the disk, through the aperture, a second disk seated uponthe outside of the container top, at the aperture, and protecting thefirst disk against inwardly directed pressure, and a sealing compound orthe like to support the second disk in such position, readily releasablewithout tools for access to the first disk.

2. In combination with a sealed container for beer or a like liquidunder pressure, having an aperture in its top or other wall, of a sizeto admit the consumers finger, a sheet metal disk within the containerunderlying and marginally underlapping the aperture, whereby theinternal pressure acts to press the disk outwardly to a seat about themargin of the aperture, and the disk is unseated by pressure of theconsumers finger inwardly directed upon the disk, through the aperture,to fall free within the container, a second sheet metal disk seated uponthe outside of the container top, surrounding the aperture, and engagingthe first disk through the aperture, whereby the outside disk protectsthe inside disk against inwardly directed pressure, and reinforces theinside disks resistance to outwardly directed pressure, and a sealingcompound or the like to support the outside disk in such position,readily releasable for access to the first disk.

3. In combination with a sealed can for beer or the like, having adispensing hole formed in its top, of a size to admit the consumersfinger,

a sheet metal disk applied to the inner face of the top, of a size tomarginally underlap the hole, and a second disk applied to the outerface of the top, and contacting the inner disk through the hole, of asize to marginally overlap the hole, and a sealing substance acting toprevent leakage past the edge of' the hole, and holding the disks inplace against accidental removal, but permitting separation of the outerdisk, and then separation of the inner disk by inward pressure, allwithout the use of tools.

SAMUEL ARNOLD WARK. ALFRED C. TOREM.

